Turaki: Nigeria ‘still dialoguing with Boko Haram’

The Nigerian government is still in dialogue with Boko Haram for a peaceful end to insurgency in the northeast, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, minister of special duties, has told the BBC.

Turaki admitted that previous efforts to dialogue with the sect had failed, but he said that did not stop the government from pursuing other means of ending the insurgency.

In October, the government claimed it reached a ceasefire agreement with Boko Haram. It also claimed that it was having talks with the terror group for the release of the abducted Chibok girls.

However, Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, refuted the claims of the government, launching attacks on communities and capturing towns in the northeast and threatening to kill the ceasefire negotiator.

But Turaki emphasised that the government was speaking with key elements in Boko Haram, as not all members of the sect would embrace the dialogue option.

“Like any other government, you cannot expect the president to speak with insurgents,” he said.

“Certainly, Nigeria’s president will not do that. But there a lot of tiers; there are levels at the security level and at the ministerial level. We are still engaging some of them who are willing to key into the dialogue process.

“We are still talking with them. Even yesterday, I had discussion with some of them. These are people that are willing to give peace a chance and key into dialogue option. Certainly, Nigeria has not degenerated into a banana republic where we will expect the president to go and discuss with anybody.”

He explained that there were different mediums through which the insurgents were being discussed with. While some people were volunteers, others were concerned Nigerians.

“We even have people who are foreigners who felt they are concerned about what is happening and they have some linkages. And they try to talk to them,” Turaki added.

“For most of them, when we follow these links, we discover they take us nowhere. Still, we felt we have an obligation to investigate and follow through any links even if we feel that they will not take us anywhere.

“And many links took us to dead ends. In spite of that, we have been able to identify some keep elements that have been speaking with us and that are willing to key into the dialogue process. And we have been speaking with them. We are not under any illusion in expecting that every insurgent will key into the dialogue process.”